
Category Merchant
Chesapeake, VAFull-time$130–145K/yrSeen 6 days agoSeen in employer's feed 6 days ago
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Category Merchant develops assortments, executes merchandising strategy, and implements plans for stores. The role defines category strategy and product selection, sources and procures products, collaborates with Global Sourcing and vendors, and oversees promotional selections and planning. It also conducts weekly business reviews and contributes to team development and merchandising improvements. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future visa sponsorship.
General Summary:
Your merchandise planning, assortment planning, and category management experience along with your market and trend analysis experience make you a great fit for our Category Merchant position. Join our dynamic team today and find a rewarding career with a company that values you and all you bring to the table. As a Category Merchant, you’ll develop the assortment, execute the merchandising strategy, and implement merchandising plans for our stores. Your day-to-day job duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
Category Strategy & Product Management
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Consulted on the definition of the Category Strategy for their respective Category and ensuring that this strategy aligns with the Corporate strategy and meets targeted financial objectives.
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Responsible for the assortment definition and product selection for the banners, channels, countries and departments they manage, ensuring that the assortment aligns with targets.
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Responsible for identifying, developing and procuring products to drive the success and performance of their assigned banners/channels/countries/departments (i.e. their “assigned responsibilities”).
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Responsible for collaborating with the Global Sourcing organization to identify new sources of supply, prepare for buying trips, select vendors, and negotiate costs for their assigned responsibilities.
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Consulted on all financial and assortment planning activities for their assigned responsibilities. Ensures plans align with the Category Strategy and business objectives, and that buys align with assortment targets.
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Responsible for signing off on all plan-o-guides, display guides, flow guides, and planners for their assigned responsibilities prior to communication to stores.
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Responsible for collaborating with the Global Sourcing organization to manage and direct relationships and performance of those vendors that support their assigned responsibilities.
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Responsible for the selection of all products from their assigned responsibilities that are included in a promotional program. Responsible for ensuring the products are appropriately represented in a promotion.
Business Performance & Team Leadership
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Responsible for conducting Weekly Business Reviews of their assigned responsibilities. Consulted on the Monthly P&L Performance Reviews of their assigned responsibilities.
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Consulted on activities related to leading, mentoring and providing guidance to the Category Team as well as training and developing the Merchandising organization.
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Responsible for identifying potential Merchandising business and systems improvement initiatives.
Minimum Requirements:
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3 to 6 years’ experience at the Buyer level preferred with a large volume/specialty/mass retailer
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Bachelor's degree (BA / BA / BFA) or equivalent
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Retail/discount merchandising
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Merchandise planning, assortment planning, and category management experience
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Market and trend analysis experience
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Creativity – big idea development
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Proven vendor management skills (sourcing, relationship building, product pricing, product development); strong negotiating skills
Projected Salary Range: $130,000-$145,000
Family Dollar is an equal opportunity employer and committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. We are committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.
Full time
510 Volvo Parkway,Chesapeake,Virginia 23320
Buying
Family Dollar
How this job compares
Set against the 2,493 open Merchandiser jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$130–145K/yr
- Virginia median$75–98K/yr26 salary ranges
- US median$65–78K/yr374 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $138K, is 57% above the Virginia median midpoint ($88K) — in the top quarter of Merchandiser salary ranges in Virginia.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 97 open Merchandiser jobs in Virginia and 2,493 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Virginia
- Acosta Group17 open
- Dollar Tree10 open
- Dollar Tree / Family Dollar7 open
- Experience
- Merchandiser postings that state a minimum ask for 2 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 1 to 3 years (769 postings).
- Education
- 125 of the 2,493 open Merchandiser jobs (5%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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